I forgot to mention in my original post that I've owned the car from new, and it already had sports suspension, sports seats, anthracite headlining, 18" blade alloys, Xenons and adaptive headlights, park distance control front and rear, reversing assist camera, model designation deletion, chrome line exterior (that can be specified with the M Sport), panoramic glass sunroof, and the list goes on. The M sport aerodynamic bodystyling package was the missing option. I had investigated the ACS body modification options but much prefer the look of the BMW M sport aero pack so..........

The choice: Audi Q3 , Porsche Cajun but not available yet, Land Rover Evogue Was meant to be a Land Rover but then they realised they could charge 50% more by badging it as a Range Rover, its going to fall apart like the others so , Mercedes SLK ? not a 4x4, Alfa Romeo C4 no, never, not ever. New X1 M Sport Was not available yet so went for standard X1.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulberry

Now about that 3.0d engine and eight speed box........

Yep, if they do that, please BMW please , I will upgrade for sure. But then also waiting for the Cajun

Great upgrade that, thanks for the pics. You have a lot of trust in that workshop!

__________________

"Do or do not, there is no try!" - Master Yoda
"Always in motion is the future" - Master Yoda
"Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is" - Master Yoda
"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living" - Nelson Mandela

I just can't take to X M sport models - don't like the colour coding. Congrats though if thats what you like - the added benefit of yours is the better wheels that you don't get with the M sports.

Saying that - do you know if they do the short shift kit for the X1 yet?

My reasons for having the modifications done was to own the car that I originaly wanted at the time of purchase, but was not available. I also wanted to give some real recognition through this post to the chaps in the body shop who organised and did the work (there were a lot of parts involved!). I've spent the morning today detailing the car, and to say that I'm impressed is an understatement. The workmanship is superb.

I'm now researching power and brake upgrades. A C Scnitzer can take the power from 400 Nm to 480 Nm, 204 bhp to 240 bhp, but I think that BMW Performance may be able to do a better job as their power upgrade includes enhanced cooling. Because they also have performance brake upgrades, if I go ahead with the modifications it wil mean the car remains totaly BMW.

Depreciation was one of the main reasons that I have had the bodywork retro fitted. The cost of the work compared to the amount that I would have needed to add to exchange the car for a new/different model made the decision a 'no brainer'. I now have the car that I wanted in the first place (4X4 SAV) AND the capital to buy something like a used Z4 for next summer...If I then have the power/brake upgrades carried out on the X1 as well, I guess I will have achieved a good balance of SAV and pure Sports. Of course I may find that with the additional power/brake upgrades the idea of an additional sports car becomes irrelevant..now there's a thought.

Car looks great. I'd do the same in your position. When you sell it too, unless you told them, no one's to know how it's ended up Msport. Have you changed any interior? I'd reckon some carbon fibre trims, Msport wheel??

Car looks great. I'd do the same in your position. When you sell it too, unless you told them, no one's to know how it's ended up Msport. Have you changed any interior? I'd reckon some carbon fibre trims, Msport wheel??

Like the rims best of any of the OEM options incl MSport.

How about blackening the roofrails and full black kidney?

Keep going with it!

Thanks AusX1.

The interior is red brown leather with extended storage (nets on the back of seats etc) as shown in the above photographs. I decided on this combination to offset the anthracite headlining to avoid making the interior too dark.

I also have professional navigation and Idrive which give the interior of the car a tech 'feel'. The trim is brushed aluminium to pick up on the roof rails and grill. The wheels outer faces are polished aluminium on a grey background. This combination in my opinion, creates an integrated, cohesive design. Couldn't make up my mind about black shadowline and roof rails when I ordered the vehical, but am now pleased with my choice. The door sill plates now read MSport as they come as part of the kit.

The great thing about having the work done is that when I come to sell the car it will be the earliest MSport on the market as the car was a year old before the MSport version came out. I deliberately had it delivered with no badges on it as at the time I was thinking of badging it AC Scnitzer if I had an ACS power upgrade done. Now, I'm leaning more towards the next job being a detailed discussion with BMW Performance to see what power upgrades, and braking enhancement can be achieved, although the cars performance is already very good.

I couldnt stand a reg X1.. The front looks like it has a sad face... THe M sport option looks tougher!

Personal opinion. Imho it depends on the colour combo. I also prefer the SE trim over the M-Sport.

__________________

"Do or do not, there is no try!" - Master Yoda
"Always in motion is the future" - Master Yoda
"Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is" - Master Yoda
"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living" - Nelson Mandela

I want to do the m-sport mod to mine now, it looks awesome! Aside from that ours are close twins!! and if my wife see the rear armrest with cup holders!!! (ours did not come with either!!) she will freak!

With your engine and the MSport modification (as long as you have the sports suspension) you will have a 'killer' combination (IMO) and a huge smile on your face.....

I waited a year after buying mine before I had the modification done to ensure that there were no problems with the car and that I was happy with it. For warranty purposes I only considered using a BMW bodyshop. The parts are all plastic (and there are a lot of them) and they are painted off the car prior to assembly. If you do go ahead don't forget that the spot lights are a different shape, and treble check the shade of Space Grey as there are a lot of variations.

Check out Bora's recent post on his Msport, not only does his car look superb but he has a lot of BMW Performance parts fitted to it as well (the only pictures that I've been able to find of them). When my brakes need replacing I'm going to have the ventilated discs and performance brakes fitted. I'm also thinking of having winter tyres fitted to 19" alloys that will be a little easier to clean!

On another note I really like the gear shift that is fitted to your engine gear box combination

Next modification a set of 311 style wheels and BMW Performance brakes............coming soon

Have decided against the m sport body kit, I am not as brave as you and cost over here would be prohibitive.

Let me know how your brake install goes, I have been told that they will not install on a x-drive as they do not quite fit. Please prove me wrong as I would love to get a four wheel set mounted up on mine!!

The car was originaly a 23d Xline SE and the panels that needed to be changed to 'create' the M Sport were the front, sills, rear, and all four wheel arches.

If you look carefully at the front wheel arch on an SE and compare it to the M Sport you will see the difference at the bottom front.

My car was specified as an M Sport from new with the sports suspension, sports seats, anthracite headlining etc so the conversion of the panels was all that was required to complete the transformation.

If you don't want to spend the amount required to achieve a full conversion, then AC Scnitzer have a different front panel that would fit, the remaining panels then being colour coded. Another alternative would be to just fit a front from the uplift model? Hope this helps.

I've no regrets about having the conversion done, and when the tyres need replacing later this year I will be changing the wheels to 19" type 324 in ferric grey , and yes I know it's a complete waste of money but it's just got to be done......

Update: The car is just over two and a half years old now and my tyres needed changing several weeks ago so it was time to consider trading in my X1. The Porsche Macan is still not available, and as there was nothing else that tempted me I decided to upgrade my wheels and possibly brakes.

Not as easy as I first thought. The BMW Performance braking system is not compatible with the X1 due to weight differences between the X1 xdrive and 3 series, and therefore not encouraged by BMW UK. Then there was a two week delay for the new wheel and tyre set......they had to be imported from Germany even though the wheels are listed as a standard upgrade for the X1

I was worried about the quality of the ride using 19" with run flat tyres when coupled with sports suspension, but need not have been. In my opinion the Pirelli's possibly give a smoother ride with less road noise, and after driving the car on the same roads (before and after) there is no noticable difference in drive comfort.

The wheels have really changed the look of the car so I'm pleased I made the decison.

Next? Perhaps Hartge springs as they lower the car by 30 mm. I'm currently checking what the difference between my sports springs and the normal X1 springs is. From memory I think I was told that the car was 10 mm lower with the BMW sports springs.Then possibly once the car is out of warranty the Hartge tuning package?

I've also now got a spare set of unmarked, never kerbed or restored BMW type 323 alloys. They've done 17000 miles from new, and I'm considering having them fitted with winter tyres unless anybody in the UK is interested in them?